Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Lafia was excited by the thought that she could make another friend other than Roan’s group for the first time.

‘Roan and the others are nice kids, but… the more friends the better!’

Lafia, who grew up in a rural estate, had a fantasy about the Holy War.

Just then, Vulcan called out Lafia’s group.

“Lafia Kedan, Seary Hush.”

Lafia checked her opponent.

She was a cute girl wearing a blue hat that went well with her long, cool sky-blue hair.

‘Huh? But are shorts also a school uniform?’

The slightly strange thing was that the kid named Seary was wearing shorts, unlike the other students.

Looking at the yellow points on the white background, it was indeed the uniform…

“Are you Lafia?”

“Huh? Ah, yes! Let’s do our best, Seary!”

Seary had a cute, round voice, matching her appearance.

Lafia smiled brightly and offered a handshake.

With this girl, she could go shopping in the commercial district together, or eat desserts at a cafe.

She felt they could enjoy the romance she had been harboring all this time.

Seary also smiled and held Lafia’s hand.

“Great! I really love the Holy War!”

‘I think it would be harder to find someone who doesn’t like the Holy War here.’

Lafia didn’t think too deeply of Seary’s words.

However.

Squeeze—

‘Huh? She’s stronger than I thought?’

She only wondered at the stronger force than expected in their clasped hands.

The moment Lafia briefly looked down at their hands.

Seary’s blue eyes blazed up.

***

“Ondor victory!”

“Bel victory!”

The Holy Wars between the freshmen proceeded.

Lafia grew more and more expectant as her turn approached.

A Holy War filled with friendship and romance, just as she had thought!

Not long after, Vulcan shouted Lafia’s name.

“Lafia, come out.”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

Lafia stood up vigorously and called her Wind Terrier.

Woof woof!

Lafia and the terrier took their positions on the left.

Vulcan went on to call Seary.

“Seary!”

Lafia looked for where Seary was sitting with expectant eyes.

But the atmosphere was slightly strange.

No, it was very strange.

———.

The inside of Percivalun Hall, which had been buzzing with the chatter of students, was instantly engulfed in silence.

“?”

Why suddenly?

Lafia was slightly flustered.

Through the few Holy Wars they had undergone so far, there had never been a time like this.

However.

A small, yet distinct laughter began to be heard from somewhere.

“Hehe, heh, hahahaha, hihi!”

A laugh filled with spine-chilling madness that she had never imagined she would hear in Acherandir.

Lafia’s spine went cold.

A sense of crisis greater than when she had encountered a tiger in the mountains as a child washed over her.

Thump— thump— thump—

Soon, a group of students began to stamp their feet in unison to a beat.

Thump—! Thump—!

The sound of stamping feet gradually grew louder.

In the middle of those students, a blue-haired student stood up.

Seary was it.

‘What is it? What’s going on?’

Lafia looked up at her, sweating cold.

Just what on earth was the Holy War…!

The petite Seary raised one arm with all her might and shouted.

“Ho-o-o-o-oly! Wa-a-a-a-ar!”

It was a volume that could not possibly be believed to have come from that body.

At the same time, the students also raised their arms and shouted in response.

— Holy War! Holy War!

— Shorts girl Seary!

— Go out! And achieve victory!

The simple country girl Lafia realized at that moment.

‘These crazy bastards…!’

When it came to the Holy War, it was hard to find people as crazy as the citizens of the empire.

And the ‘shorts girl’ Seary and her followers were a crazy group whose names were already well-known in the Holy War youth division.

Lafia turned to look at Vulcan with trembling eyes.

Even so, was it okay to build up such an atmosphere when it was just a friendly match between students?

“Hmm. Seary. As expected, I look forward to this match.”

“???”

However, Vulcan, as if he did not feel any strangeness, merely nodded and waited for Seary.

Lafia suddenly recalled how coldly Roan had reacted when he heard about the Holy War.

‘As expected, I should stay close to Roan…’

She then searched for Roan, who was sitting in the spectator stands.

He was staring toward Seary’s gang with his unique gloomy and dangerous expression heavily furrowed.

Compared to Seary and her gang, he looked extremely normal.

Meanwhile, having finished warming up, Seary finally entered the arena.

“Before me, victory! Before the enemy, defeat!”

— Uwoooo!

— Seeeeearyyyyy!

‘No, I said this is a friendly match…’

Strictly speaking, it was just a part of class that didn’t even count as a friendly match.

But looking at this, it wouldn’t fall short of being the finals of the imperial Holy War League.

Seary leapt down to the arena in a single bound from the rather high spectator stands.

Crash—!

A somewhat dangerous landing sound.

However, Seary stood right up and laughed out loud.

“Hahahahahahaha!”

“Excuse me, it looks like your knee is bleeding, are you okay?”

“It’s fine. The Holy War is, by definition, built upon blood and sweat.”

“…”

That blood wasn’t supposed to be this blood, though.

Lafia thought it would be best to just say nothing more.

She had no idea where or how to begin pointing things out to this Lightning Bear hybrid professor.

“Hahaha! It’s fun!”

Seary ran to the right side of the arena, not caring about her scraped knee.

She then began to dominate the opponent’s spirit with eyes gleaming with madness.

…She didn’t seem to think that her opponent was already dominated.

Grrr— pant pant! Grrrr—

Meanwhile, as Lafia watched closely, Seary’s partner was also not normal.

The cuteness of the Wind Terrier was nowhere to be seen, replaced by eyes full of madness like its master’s, and drool dripping from its tongue lolling out to the side.

‘…Shouldn’t it be tested for Mad Beast Disease?’

Spiritual beasts afflicted with Mad Beast Disease that occasionally came down from the mountains to attack the Kedan Estate looked exactly like that.

Not only Lafia, but also her Wind Terrier trembled all over out of instinctive fear.

Whine—

Her partner was even looking back at Lafia, sending a look that said it wanted to be held in her arms right away.

Unable to watch any longer, Lafia called out to Vulcan.

“Um… Professor, I think we will forfeit—”

No matter how much Lafia liked people, she didn’t want to build a bond through the Holy War with such a crazy friend.

Rather, it felt like something else would be beaten to a pulp first.

She would rather deal with Demona.

However, Lafia’s words could not be finished.

“You.”

A cold voice cut across the arena.

Lafia was startled and turned to look at the opposite side.

“Is the Holy War… a joke to you?”

Standing there was Seary, who had calmed her madness before anyone knew it, glaring at her coldly.

“Huh? A-Ah, no.”

Lafia took a half step back and shook her head.

“Seary is right. Forfeiture is not tolerated in the Holy War.”

Vulcan also spoke to Lafia with a slightly hardened face.

‘Roan…!’

Lafia searched for Roan with teary eyes.

***

‘Of all people, she had to get matched with someone who is thoroughly out of her mind.’

Hearing for the first time that Lafia was paired with Seary, Roan felt extreme pity.

What on earth did Lafia do wrong to have to deal with such a hooligan leader!

Furthermore, Seary was someone Roan held a particular grudge against.

‘If not for that brat, playing Sion’s route would have been much more pleasant.’

Trian was actually a gentleman compared to her.

If he thought of Trian’s instigation as a trial Sion had to go through as the protagonist, he could manage to get over it.

But what about Seary?

She would constantly challenge Sion to the Holy War at any given moment, making it impossible to even progress the main story.

On top of that, true to an empire crazy about the Holy War, if one refused her request, their surrounding reputation would plummet like crazy.

It was much better to just pull wide-area aggro by claiming to be a saintess candidate in the middle of a square.

…This was the result of Roan actually experimenting because he had been so frustrated.

‘Anyway, though I pity Lafia, she should be fine for now.’

Even if her current trembling state was pitiful.

In truth, Roan didn’t worry much.

The reason would be revealed once the match began.

“Match start!”

With Vulcan’s command, the duel between Lafia and Seary began.

Lafia first solidified her defense.

While preparing to react at any moment, she kicked up dust in front of her to block the vision.

On the other hand, Seary.

“Rapid Charge!”

There was no preparation; it was an immediate attack.

Her Wind Terrier, already half out of its mind due to its partner’s influence, rushed forward without care.

— Oh!

— It’s fast!

Though its speed was unusually fast for a Wind Terrier.

The problem was that exact speed.

“Avoid it!”

Identifying it as a simple charge, Lafia ordered a dodge, but.

Whoosh—!! Crash—!

“???”

Seary’s Wind Terrier ended up slamming its head into the wall right in front of Lafia and passed out.

An absurd attack, to the point that Lafia had almost gotten hit while trying to avoid it!

‘That brat always acts grand and then self-destructs.’

Roan clicked his tongue at the fact that his prediction did not go wrong.

Despite even having a nickname, Seary was not particularly talented at the Holy War.

Although she would become a fairly famous player later, she always self-destructed like that in the first class.

…In the first place, she lived obsessed with the Holy War throughout her school years, so it would be stranger if her skills didn’t accumulate.

Meanwhile, Lafia, dumbfounded, stared blankly down at the Wind Terrier stretched out in front of her.

“…”

Step—!

Seary, who had been trembling with her head lowered, suddenly leaped down into the arena and began to run toward Lafia.

Woof woof!

Lafia’s Wind Terrier barked, highly tense.

Lafia also habitually raised her left hand, which usually held a shield, in front of her body.

It was a truly instinctive reaction.

However, once she reached Lafia, Seary had returned to being a normal student before anyone knew it.

“You! You’re better at the Holy War than you look!”

“Uh, yes? Eh?”

Lafia, who had been debating whether to throw a punch or use the height difference to kick, failed to react in time and was bewildered.

Seary asked, offering a handshake.

“I intentionally changed direction to attack, expecting you to dodge, but you even saw through that! It’s my complete defeat. Would you like to do the Holy War often in the future?”

“Sure… let’s do that. …If I have time.”

Lafia took her hand hesitantly, adding a small condition.

Vulcan nodded, smiling with satisfaction.

“Hmm. A battle of wits unlike a freshman match, and a clean admission. Both are splendid! Lafia, you seem to have a talent for the Holy War!”

“?? Yes? Ah?”

Lafia, who tilted her head repeatedly while looking back and forth at the two, was like a broken doll.

Battle of wits? Talent?

It was full of words she couldn’t understand no matter how much she thought.

— Waaaah!

— I enjoyed watching the beautiful match!

— Lafia, I’ll remember your name!

Lafia did not know the reason even as she heard the students’ cheers.

Why on earth?

Roan nodded.

‘They are people who cannot be understood in the first place.’

After Lafia returned to her seat with a dazed face.

A few more Holy Wars ensued, and finally it was Roan and Sion’s turn.

“Roan Darc, Sion Beatrice!”

Roan and Sion, who had descended from the spectator stands, stood in the arena facing each other.

Sion’s Wind Terrier was still flying around, wagging its tail furiously because it liked her so much.

“Go down now. Let’s play again later.”

Woof woof!

At Sion’s gentle persuasion, the Wind Terrier finally descended to the arena floor.

On the other hand, Roan’s side.

Step—

Without him giving any separate order, it had already taken its position like a brave warrior.

It was because the creature had perceived Roan’s subconscious jealousy toward Sion, who boasted a perfect bond with her spiritual beast.

…And it had also been influenced by the black mana emanating from Roan all this time.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Roan’s Wind Terrier was slightly exceeding the bounds of an ordinary Wind Terrier.

“?”

Sion tilted her head at the unusually cold atmosphere on Roan’s side.

Hadn’t they established a bond between people who were not overly obsessed with the Holy War just a moment ago?

Why suddenly…

“Are you ready?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Yes.”

The two nodded at Vulcan’s confirmation.

“Match start!”

The command fell immediately.

“Don’t get hurt, let’s do our best!”

Woof woof!

As Sion patted the Wind Terrier, it spun its tail like a propeller as if strength surged on its own.

Meanwhile, Roan.

“Win.”

Grrr—!

He had only uttered this brief word.

The Wind Terrier also growled quietly, cementing its hostility toward the opponent.

— Is that really a sound a Wind Terrier makes?

— Just what did he do to make a Wind Terrier act like that…

— At that rate, it seems its vocal cords have changed?

The students buzzed.

‘You liked it when Seary’s did it…!’

In fact, looking at the state, Seary’s Wind Terrier was far more abnormal.

Hadn’t this fellow merely been reborn as a brave warrior!

Meanwhile, Sion gave orders calmly.

“Defense posture!”

Sion’s Wind Terrier classically waited for the opponent’s movement, attempting to counter by whipping up a gust.

However, a classic was just a classic.

Against an anomaly that far surpassed that level, it could only collapse helplessly.

Grrr— bark!

Roan’s Wind Terrier, barking fiercely, ran forward at high speed before the opponent’s gust could even take shape.

Sion cried out urgently.

“Wind Intercept!”

Woof!

The Wind Terrier’s ranged attack.

It was a skill that attacked the opponent by throwing wind in a straight line by swinging its body.

Whoosh— whoosh—

A fairly fierce wind was shot, contrary to the Wind Terrier’s cute appearance.

But the target had already left that spot.

Wind Intercept hit the ground in vain and vanished.

‘What?’

Sion hurriedly searched for the opponent’s position.

The advanced movement skill of wind-attribute spiritual beasts that hides the form by blending into the wind, ‘Shadow Gale.’

No, they were the exact same Wind Terrier, so how…!

But before Sion could even be fully surprised.

Roar!

Roan’s Wind Terrier suddenly appeared right above and plunged down like lightning.

This time, it was the charge skill ‘Vertical Assault.’

It was truly the strike of a beast of prey.

It was amazing that the spiritual beast used such skills on its own without receiving any specific instructions.

‘Darc, you bastard…!’

Vulcan also did not show it outwardly, but was inwardly shocked.

It was because skills difficult for a species like the Wind Terrier to execute had come out in succession.

Did he prepare such a tactic in advance?

Of course, there was no such thing.

‘It fights pretty well.’

Roan was simply admiring the fellow who fought quite flashily and well on its own when he had only told it to win.

Was the Wind Terrier a more useful spiritual beast in the Holy War than he had thought?

“Avoid it!”

Sion was also not easy.

Thanks to her quick instructions, her Wind Terrier barely managed to dodge.

Since it was just a simple physical brawl now, it was a fight Sion could manage to keep up with…

‘No!’

However, Sion could not help but be astonished.

Slash—!

Roan’s Wind Terrier, stepping on the ground, immediately dug up the floor vigorously.

It then threw that dirt at the opponent without hesitation.

Whine!

Having never imagined such an attack, Sion’s terrier struggled, rubbing its eyes and whipping up wind frantically.

The match was over then.

When Roan’s terrier immediately knocked the opponent down and pummeled it with its front paws, it lost its will to fight completely.

Vulcan opened his mouth unconsciously in shock.

‘Impossible!’

The Wind Terriers matched with the freshmen were all pets raised without special training.

To transform such a creature into such a perfect warrior in less than two hours.

It was a case even Vulcan had never seen before.

‘A miracle, yes, this is a miracle!’

If there were miracles in the Holy War, this would be it.

As Vulcan felt a shiver, lightning crackled all over his body.

“Stop, Roan Darc wins!”

Vulcan’s match end command.

Bark—! Bark—!

Roan’s Wind Terrier barked fiercely, ran a few laps around the opponent, and returned.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”

Sion immediately cast a healing holy spell on her partner.

Whine…

Of course, Roan was the winner and Sion was the loser, but.

— Boo, that’s too much, boo.

— You bloodless and tearless fellow!

Because Sion’s appearance looked so pitiful, the students’ criticism naturally shifted to Roan.

‘No, do these bastards actually like the Holy War?’

Roan shuddered at such double standards.

Looking at just official Holy Wars right now, so many worse sights occurred.

‘…Still, I should put on a show.’

Roan reached out his hand to the brave Wind Terrier returning to him.

Wouldn’t showing a bond with the spiritual beast help manage his image a bit?

…Bark.

However, Roan’s terrier only stood at attention after approaching to a certain distance, and did not come any closer or show any friendly behavior.

— Look at that! He must have threatened the spiritual beast!

— Darc, I didn’t think you were that kind of person!

The students’ jeers grew even louder.

Roan felt irritation surge as he heard a familiar voice from among them.

“Boo!”

Demona was naturally joining in on criticizing him too!

“…Go wherever you want.”

Roan gestured to the Wind Terrier, letting whatever happens happen.

The Wind Terrier warily checked his expression for a moment, then naturally walked over to stand next to Professor Vulcan.

“Amazing fellow. You met a very good partner.”

Vulcan, not knowing the situation, stroked the creature with a satisfied expression.

Roan clicked his tongue as he watched this.

‘This is why I hate the Holy War!’